Re-thinking investment:

Sustainable intensification for complex landscapes – the case of the Llanos inColombia: big risks, big benefits?

Multiple ecosystems, medium to large farms and

industrial crops

The “Llanos”: Agribusiness on the rise!

One challenge:sustainable development by preserving/ improving ecosystem services in complex

landscapes

The Llanos region

Llanos is not the Cerrados!Challenge is bigger - production affected by poorer soils and limited infrastructure

and access to inputs and services

Sustainable agriculture must be developed

for local conditions

To partially transform the country’s vast and largely

undeveloped eastern plains by establishing sustainable agriculture in the region

Ultimate Goal

Challenge is big, but possible to overcome

through a shared commitment on eco-efficiency from the

research (based on applicable principles - not

recipes), government, and private sectors,

including NGOs (working in conservation)

Main message

Can evidence based research help different investors take sustainable solutions to scale?

Research for sustainable solutions

Research line ResultsCrops (maize, soybean)

Two fold increase in productivity by improving (re-building!) top soil conditions

Cattle From 0.2 heads / Ha (native savanna) to 2-3 heads / Ha (improved pastures)

Rubber Evaluation of clonesRice Breed for varieties resistant to diseasesSugarcane Adaptation of for bioethanol productionetc… etc…

• Traditional approach: solid results!

Research for sustainable solutions

Research line ResultsEcosystem services

Soil restoration to bring savannahs commercial agriculture while increasing soil C stocksC sequestration and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions with improved management (mostly in pastures and perennial plantations)

Map of C stocks in the soils as result of combined natural and anthropogenic factors!Impact of agriculture on quality of production plots, forests and wetlands Land-use planning: No-go zones, protection of critical ES sources

• Research for eco-efficient agriculture in practice:

RisksAction Potential

Conversion of native savannas to industrial agriculture

Loss of natural habitats, flora, fauna and multiple ecosystems services

Unsustainable land-use practices

Lands unproductive and exhausted

Large-scale monocultures Environmental impacts and risks (e.g., over-reliance on chemical fertilisers and pesticides)

Expansion of new crops in the region

Industrial use rather than food (e.g., sugarcane for bio-ethanol, soybean for livestock feed)

• Government– Food security, GDP

growth– Rural job generation

(3.5m in the Llanos)– Infrastructure– Environmental

protection• Private Sector – Profit– Long term

sustainability from high initial investments

Rethinking Investment